Prenatal Stress due to a Natural Disaster Predicts Adiposity in Childhood: The Iowa Flood Study
Joint Authors
King, Suzanne
Dancause, Kelsey N.
Hart, Kimberly J.
O’Hara, Michael W.
Elgbeili, Guillaume
Laplante, David P.
Brunet, Alain
Source
Issue
Vol. 2015, Issue 2015 (31 Dec. 2015), pp.1-10, 10 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2015-03-19
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
10
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Prenatal stress can affect lifelong physical growth, including increased obesity risk.
However, human studies remain limited.
Natural disasters provide models of independent stressors unrelated to confounding maternal characteristics.
We assessed degree of objective hardship and subjective distress in women pregnant during severe flooding.
At ages 2.5 and 4 years we assessed body mass index (BMI), subscapular plus triceps skinfolds (SS + TR, an index of total adiposity), and SS : TR ratio (an index of central adiposity) in their children (n=106).
Hierarchical regressions controlled first for several potential confounds.
Controlling for these, flood exposure during early gestation predicted greater BMI increase from age 2.5 to 4, as well as total adiposity at 2.5.
Greater maternal hardship and distress due to the floods, as well as other nonflood life events during pregnancy, independently predicted greater increase in total adiposity between 2.5 and 4 years.
These results support the hypothesis that prenatal stress increases adiposity beginning in childhood and suggest that early gestation is a sensitive period.
Results further highlight the additive effects of maternal objective and subjective stress, life events, and depression, emphasizing the importance of continued studies on multiple, detailed measures of maternal mental health and experience in pregnancy and child growth.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Dancause, Kelsey N.& Laplante, David P.& Hart, Kimberly J.& O’Hara, Michael W.& Elgbeili, Guillaume& Brunet, Alain…[et al.]. 2015. Prenatal Stress due to a Natural Disaster Predicts Adiposity in Childhood: The Iowa Flood Study. Journal of Obesity،Vol. 2015, no. 2015, pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1069616
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Dancause, Kelsey N.…[et al.]. Prenatal Stress due to a Natural Disaster Predicts Adiposity in Childhood: The Iowa Flood Study. Journal of Obesity No. 2015 (2015), pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1069616
American Medical Association (AMA)
Dancause, Kelsey N.& Laplante, David P.& Hart, Kimberly J.& O’Hara, Michael W.& Elgbeili, Guillaume& Brunet, Alain…[et al.]. Prenatal Stress due to a Natural Disaster Predicts Adiposity in Childhood: The Iowa Flood Study. Journal of Obesity. 2015. Vol. 2015, no. 2015, pp.1-10.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1069616
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1069616